Current medical research and opinion
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Observational Study
Tapentadol prolonged release for managing moderate to severe chronic neck pain with or without a neuropathic component.
Background: Despite the high prevalence of neck pain, few studies have addressed the pharmacological treatment of this condition. Purpose: We evaluated the effectiveness of tapentadol prolonged-release (PR) in patients with or without a neuropathic pain component, with a focus on functional movements, disability and Quality of Life (QoL). Study design/setting: Observational, retrospective study. ⋯ ROM significantly improved in all three planes of motion (p < .01), with no difference between the two groups. Interference of pain with sleep and QoL also improved. Conclusions: The reduction in pain provided by tapentadol is associated with functional recovery, which may in turn be linked to an improvement in QoL.
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Objective: Oral supplementation with iron is a standard intervention for treating or preventing iron deficiency with or without anemia. Over the last few decades, various forms of oral iron have been developed to improve treatment tolerability and iron bioavailability. In this review, we gathered research data regarding the use of iron protein succinylate since it was first marketed in the 1980s. ⋯ The change in all parameters was similar or higher with iron protein succinylate compared to other iron treatments evaluated. Overall, study groups receiving iron protein succinylate reported the lowest rate of adverse events. Conclusions: Although all iron treatments analyzed are effective and safe, our results suggest that iron protein succinylate may be an excellent choice to treat iron deficiency and anemia due to its superior effectiveness and tolerability.
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Background: Asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) is a persistent airflow limitation with features of both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). No studies have explored the prevalence of ACO at the national level in China. Objective: In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of ACO and to assess the associated factors and comorbidities of ACO in middle-aged and older Chinese. ⋯ Comorbidities of ACO included stomach or other digestive disease, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis or rheumatism. Conclusions: ACO was a prevalent condition in middle-aged and older Chinese. Better management and more research on ACO are needed.
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Osteocalcin is an osteoblast-derived peptide mainly found in the bone matrix but also in circulation. A recent investigation suggested that osteocalcin mediated acute stress response (ASR) by inhibiting parasympathetic tone in mice and humans. We propose a hypothesis that osteocalcin is regulated by the skeleton movement and glucocorticoids, and inhibition of the parasympathetic tone by osteocalcin may indicate a therapeutic target in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).